Trump says Musk restored Ukraine's Starlink access; Kyiv says limits remain

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that SpaceX chief Elon Musk had restored Ukraine's access to Starlink, saying "the bottom line, he put it back". He declined to say whether he had spoken to Musk, after the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump called him and asked him to lift restrictions, telling him he was frustrated that speeds remained capped.Sources:1Reuters (via NBC News): Trump says Elon Musk restored Ukraine's Starlink access but Kyiv says service still limited, Reuters (via NBC News), 23 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)2Al Jazeera: Trump says Musk restored Ukraine's Starlink access amid Russia war, Al Jazeera, 23 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)

Ukrainian officials announced sudden Starlink restrictions on 13 October, which hampered drone attacks and air-defence drone missions that rely on the satellite service. Musk posted that speed and usage limits are decided by the US military and "ultimately POTUS", and says Starshield, the military version, is owned and controlled by the US government. Trump has denied ordering the restrictions, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said access was up to SpaceX and Musk under a private commercial contract.Sources:1Reuters (via NBC News): Trump says Elon Musk restored Ukraine's Starlink access but Kyiv says service still limited, Reuters (via NBC News), 23 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)2Al Jazeera: Trump says Musk restored Ukraine's Starlink access amid Russia war, Al Jazeera, 23 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)

On Friday, Serhii Beskrestnov, an adviser to Zelensky, said "we have not observed any lifting of restrictions on Starlink", and President Volodymyr Zelensky said speeds had not been restored. Some officials told the Journal the service ran faster than under the cap but was not fully back, and Zelensky said he hoped to speak with Rubio in the coming days.Sources:1Reuters (via NBC News): Trump says Elon Musk restored Ukraine's Starlink access but Kyiv says service still limited, Reuters (via NBC News), 23 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)

The dispute comes as relations between Kyiv and Washington have hit new lows after Trump announced a deal to buy Russian diesel and waived new sanctions on Moscow, Reuters reported. Critics fear access to the network could be used to pressure Ukraine. On Thursday Russia struck Kyiv with ballistic missiles and Ukraine sent hundreds of drones toward Moscow.Sources:1Reuters (via NBC News): Trump says Elon Musk restored Ukraine's Starlink access but Kyiv says service still limited, Reuters (via NBC News), 23 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)2Al Jazeera: Trump says Musk restored Ukraine's Starlink access amid Russia war, Al Jazeera, 23 October 2026 (source, opens in a new tab)